Automobile water cooling temperature regulator



July 7, 1936. R. F. METCALFE AUTOMOBILE WATER COOLING TEMPERATUREREGULATOR Filed Nov. 30, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Roazxerflfizzzwzza BY m 0 M ATTORNEYS.

July 7, 1936. R. F. METCALFE 2,047,028

AUTOMOBILE WATER COOLING TEMPERATUI RE REGULATOR Filed Nov. 50, 1931 5She ats-She et 2 A TTORNEYS.

July 7, 1936.

I R. F. METCALFE AUTOMOBILE WATER COOLING TEMPERATURE REGULATOR 5Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 30, l93l m m w m flofiferf/yzrc4zFf BY '4ATTORNEYS.

Patented July- 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE sums AUTOMOBILE WATERGOOIJNG TEMPERATURE REGULATOR Robert Elletcalfe, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application November 3t, 1931, Serial No. 577,985 3 Claims. (CL 123-171)I This invention relates to'improvements in temperature-regulatingdevices, and more particularly to devices for controlling the te ratureand flow of ambient media such as used in automotive cooling systems.

Hitherto the custom has been to cool an automotive engine by circulatinga cooling fluid, such as water, through the water jacket of the engine,returning it thence to a radiator mounted in the front of a machine. Theflow of cooling fluid through the cooling system may be mechanical, asby using impelling pumps, motivated, through suitable mechanism, by theengine, or as in some systems, by convection circulation of the fluid.

' These systems have the uniform disadvantage of providing forsubstantially equal flow of cooling medium through anengine regardlessof the temperature obtaining in the surrounding air. Thus,

-in a mechanical system incorporated in anautomobile, the amount offluid forced through the engine to cool the latter, is the same at anytemperature, being dependent'solely upon the speed of the vehicle. J I

' It is an object of this invention to provides;

26 cooling system for internal combustion engines.

and the like, which is directly thermally responsive to the engine.

Another object of this invention is the provision of atemperature-regulating device for internal. combustion engines, and thelike, in which a thermoeresponsive controlling unit is directlycontactedwith the fluid or the device whose temperature is'to be regulated ormaintained within desired limits.

36 Yet another object of this invention is the provision of such animproved device which is selfcontained, simple and efllcient inoperation.

It is also an object of this invention to provide such improved deviceswhich are adapted to autoinatically maintain a desired operatingtemperature within an engine or other member exposed to variations inheat.

These, and other desirable objects and advantages oi the presentinvention will be illustrated in the accompanying drawings and describedin the annexed specification, certain preferred embodiments beingdisclosed by way of example only, for, since the underlying principlesmay be incorporated, in other specific mechanical constructions. it isnot intended to be limited to the ones here shown, except as suchlimitations are clearly imposed by the appended claims. In the drawingslike numerals'refer to'similar parts throughout the several views, ofwhich Fig. l is a vertical section through a temper ture-controllingunit as applied to an automotive cooling system;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section partly in elevation of an impeller pumphaving cam operating means for controlling the impellers; 5

Fig. 3 is a front plan view taken on the line H of Fig, 2;

8. 4 is a side elevation of an automotive ensine and cooling systemshowing improvements of the present invention, certain of the parts be-10 log shown in section; I

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the method of operating thefan members;

Fig. 6 is a front view of the device shown in Fig. 5. certain oi. theparts being shown in cross 15 section;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of a modified view of fan operatingmeans;

Fig. 8 is a cross section taken on e H of 7: r 20 Fig. 9 iso. viewsimilar to Fig. 1, showing modified forms of thermostatic control andfan operating means; a t

Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view taken on lines P18. 11 is a frontelevation of the device shown inFigs.9and10,and I Fig. 12 is a detail ofa further modified form of thermostatic control device.

In its essential details the improved device of the presentinventioncomprehends a thermostat in direct contact with a medium orarticle: whose temperature is'to be. controlled and'involves anauxiliary cooling means,'such as a fan, the blades of which are directlycontrolled by the thermostat. :5 Auxiliary flow controlling means for acooling medium is provided in the form of a pump, the blades for theimpellers of which are varied by the thermostat in order to vary theamount of flow of the mediumtobecooled.

Aspeciiic useofthisty'peofcontrolhasb'een illustrated in theaccompanying drawings as applied to an automobile in the cooling of theengine by means of circulation of a body of uter'.

In theseillustrationsthefanisoithemual type of radiator fan, havingmeans embodied in the hub thereof adapted to vary the angle of the fanblades and thereby vary the flow of air impelled by the blades. Thedevice; or devices, controlling the angula'rity of the fan blades is, inturn, under the control of, or actuated by, a thermostaticallycontrolled device which is in direct contact with the cooling water inthe water jacket oi the cylinders of the motor. The pump shown anddescribed herein is of the impeller type. the 5 blades of which are alsoadapted to be varied by means of the same thermostatic device to controlthe volume of the cooling water forced or pumped through the system.

While the novel improvements herein disclosed are to be described withparticular reference to their use in automotive and like coolingsystems, it will, of course, be appreciated that the said improvementsmay be applied to other heat-exchanging systems. wherein the temperatureof the material to be treated is controlled'by means directly actuatedby the said material temperature. Such uses in heat exchangers mayinvolve blower heating systems, oil refineries,,;oil cracking systemsand a wide .variety of industrial applications In addition, it willbeappre ciated, as in case of electromotive' prime "motors, that thepower supply may be directly controlled as by varying the power input.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the invention will bedescribed with particular reference to an automotive cooling system,although, as intimated above, the invention is capable of embodiment ina wide variety of industrial uses.

The specific structure herein shown comprises a fan I driven by anysuitable means, such as a belt, 6I. The fan III is secured in anysuitable manner to a shaft II on which is mounted a pump I2 includedwithin the circulating cooling system of an engine. The shaft II isprovided with a longitudinal central aperture I4, which is expanded atone end to form a chamber I5. The chamber I5 is adapted to contain anexpansible liquid which is responsive to changes in temperature. Ascomprehended in the present invention the chamber I5 is contacted withor disposed so as to be in direct contact with p the medium or fluid,the temperature of which is to be maintained within predeterminedlimits. The central channel or. aperture of the shaft is restricted indiameter, at its forward end so as to provide a bearing for a piston I6which is directly connected to and adapted to operate a cam-surfacedcylindrical body member I1 having an internal cam face, and which pistonis adapted to slide in a recess or chamber formed member 20 disposed atthe rear or pump end of the shaft. The rods I9 are severally secured tothe cam members 20 and I1 as by brazing, sol-. dering or welding, ormechanically as by means of screw threads, all as indicated generally atI9a and 19b respectively. 1 This second cam member is adapted to' varyor control the pitch of the impeller blades 2I of the "impeller I2previously described.

The pump or impeller I2 is provided with a hub 22 having a circularflange 23 integral therewith.

This flange is laterally disposed with respect to the body of the huband is provided on its outer surface with a plurality of bosses 24,which are spaced equally distant from each other and conmembers, it willbe appreciated, may be of any desired configuration. On the oppositeface of flange 23 from bosses 24, are provided a plurality of peripheralridges or stop members 21, which correspond in number to the impellerblades of 5 the pump. These stops 21 are adapted to limit the outwardmovement of the several impeller blades. The stub shafts 25 areprovided, externally of the bosses 24, with fingers 26, which areadapted to engage the cam face of member 20. When the member 20 is movedinwardly of the impeller, the fingers 26 are pushed upwardly, causingthe associated blades 2 I- to move toward the hub in the inner dottedline position as shown in Fig. 3, and these blades are held in suchposition until thecam member is retracted, at which time the force ofthe water acting against the curved blades tends to urge them outwardlytoward the limiting stops 21. The pump housing andassociated parts areindicated schematically 20 in dotted lines and designated generally bythe numeral 28,.

It will ,be seen that upon expansion of the fluid contained in chamberI5, the cam member I1 will be urged outwardly, carrying therewith thelinks I9, which in turn will carry the cam mechanism 20 therewith. Thefingers 26 of the impeller blade mechanisms will follow the diminishingcurvature of the cam face and alter the angular position of the impellerblades 2|, accordingly. The pump mechanism will be seen to rotate in acounter clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 5 and 6, there is disclosed apreferred form of fan-blade feathering mechanism. The base of the fanhub 29 is formed with a groove 60 adapted to receive a 'drive belt 6| Itis obvious, of course, that the groove and associated part may bereplaced by any well-known type of driving means such as sprocket andchain, or a friction drive. Secured to the base 29'by means of screws 30is a housing 3| having peripheral bosses 32 formed therein. These bossesare so constructed as to serve as journals for the fan blade shafts 33'.Secured to the fan blade shafts are arms 34 having fingers 35 formedintegral therewith and positioned rearwardly thereof. These arms 34 aresecured to the fan blade shafts in any suitable manner and are adaptedto rotate the shafts through an angle of about 45 as indicated in thedotted line position of member I8 in Fig. 5. The fingers 35 are adaptedto engage the cam face of member I1 and they are constantly urgedagainst said face by means of a spring 36, engaging pins 31 formed onthe members 34 opposite the fingers.

In operation the chamber I5 is in contact with the medium to becontrolled and which is being handled by thepump. The fan and pump aredriven by a belt on the pulley which rotates both the. pump and fanthrough the medium of the shaft II. When the temperature of the mediumbeing handled, whether fluid or liquid, remains below a predeterminedlimit the liquidin chamber I6 remains normal. At this time the fanblades I8 are positioned as shown in Figs. 6 and 9, that is with thefaces parallel to the axis of rotation. The blades 21 of the pump areheld close .to the hub 22 by'the action of cam 20 on the fingers 26.with the blades I3 and 2I in the above positions the fan and pump aredoing a minimum of work.

As the temperature of the medium rises the liquid in chamber I6 expandsand forces plunger I6, with the attached cam member I1 to the left. 75

At the same time the links I! draw the cam 20 away from the hub 22. Thecam surface of cam member l'l forces the fingers I! together therebyturning shafts SI with their associated blades It, until, when themaximum feathering is reached, the blades are at 45 to the axis ofrotation. At this time the pump blades are also thrown out against thestops 21 thereby displacing a maximum amount of liquid. It is apparentthat there are an infinite number of positions betweenthese two limitsinwhich the fan and pump blades may be positioned in accordance with thetemperature variations in the medium being thermally regulated.

In Fig. 4 is disclosed the invention as used on.

an automobile for controlling the temperature of the engine coolingwater. A water circulatin8 system of a well-known type is shown using aradiator 38 connected to the water jacket by pipes 39 and 40. Thecooling fan and water pump are shown operated by the same shaft I l asdescribed above. The water pump is positioned in the lower end of pipe40 and pumps the water into the top of the radiator. Both the fan andpump are driven by the usual form of belt ii. The

chamber or bulb I5 is in direct contact with the water in the jacket andis adapted to regulate the blades of the fan, as described above.

In Fig. 5 is disclosed the details of the regulator shown in Fig. 4. Thesame numerals designate like parts as in the figures described above.There is one difference, however, in that the pump blades 2| are notvariable. It is, of course,

understood that if desired this optional feature may be included,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

when used on an automobile the regulating device permits the engine tobe operated at maximum emciency and prevents the overheating of thecooling water with the usual undesirable results. The regulator may beset to function at the temperature at which the engine operates the bestand 'the regulator will maintain that temperature providing the engineis operating correctly. .When the temperature is below the limit set,the fan blades are so feathered that no air is circulated thereby. Asthe temperature rises the blades are feathered only enough to bring thetemperature down to within the limits desired to permit efficientoperation of the engine thereby reducing fuel costs and prolonging thelife of the engine.

- 'z is disclosed a modification of the mil blade operating cam similarto cam member l'l described above. In this figure like numerals are usedfor like parts described above. The modified cam II is shown as beingexternally cone shaped and is adapted to cooperate with the fingers 35in the same manner as described above. In this instance, the fingers arespread by the cam instead of drawn together. In this type of bladefeathering device the spring 36 is omitted and a spring 42 substitutedtherefor as shown in Fig. 8. The spring 42 is of the torsion type and issecured to the boss 32 and to the fan blade l8 in such a manner as torotate the blade in one direction while the cam and fingers tend torotate it in the other.

In Fig. 9 is disclosed a further modified form of blade featheringdevice and a different type of thermostat. As above, like numerals areagain used to designate similar parts. The thermal element 43 comprisesa spiral metallic ribbon of suitable material disposed within the cavityof shaft II, and one end of which is fas ned at Al blades on said fanand pump respectively adapted to a shaft 45. The shaft l i, as noted, isformed with a large central bore 46 which accommodates the spiralelement 43. The other end of the ribbon issecured at 41 to the innersurface of the bore 46. Secured to the stub shafts 33 are 5 beveledgears 48. A cooperating driving bevel gear 49 is mounted on the outerend of shaft 45 and is rotatable. therewith. The gear .9 meshes with andactuates the bevel gears 48. A thermal element of this character has theadvantage over one of the liquid type in that it seldom needs attentiononce it is adjusted.

Each of the gears 48 has a stop lug 50 formed on the plane face thereofwhich is adapted to cooperate with lugs 5| formed on the inside ofcasing 3|. These lugs form limits within which the blades It may berotated.

In Fig. 12 is shown a further modification of the thermal element inwhich a booster is provided. It is apparent from the foregoingdescription that this device may be used in many types of machines someof which may have heavy blades or moving parts. The booster shown inFig. 12 is for use in such machines. The shaft I I is provided with twochambers similar to l5 described above. The chamber -l5 is still incontact with the liquid or fluid to be regulated whereas a secondchamber 52 is pro vided which acts as an amplifier of the energygenerated in IS. The piston I6 is now acted 30 upon by the liquid inchamber 52 which is compressed by a piston 53 mounted on a plunger 54,which is in turn actuated by the expansion of the liquid in chamber l5.It is apparent that a device of this type greatly amplifies the force 35generated in chamber l5, thereby permitting the rotation of heavy partsofv pumps or fans.

From the above description it is apparent that a device of this typeprovides a self-contained device for regulating the temperature and flow40 of a liquid or fluid the temperature of which it a the abovedescribed device will be effective regardless of the speed of the fan orpump. This feature is very desirable in connection with the water systemof an automobile where the emciency is often impaired by the reducedspeed of they fan due to belt slippage.

It will be understood that the. invention is capable of variousmodifications and changes, but such modifications and changes are to beconsidered as being within the scope of this invention, as outlined inthe following claims:

' What is claimed is: r

1. In combination, a fan adapted to circulate air through a radiatingdevice, a pump for circulating water through said device, said fan andpump being secured to a shaft, variable to vary the volumetricdisplacement of the said air and water,'a thermal element contained insaid shaft and in contact with said water, said thermal element beingoperatively connected to said fan and pump blades to vary the positionthereof in accordance with temperature changes in said water.

2. In an engine cooling, system, a radiator and a water jacket for saidengine, a fan and a water pump driven by said engine adapted tocirculate 7 air and water through said radiator, variable blades on saidIan and pump. a thermal element 7 in contact with the water in saidjacket, and cams operatively connecting said fan and pump to saidthermal element whereby the position of said blades is varied inaccordance with temperature changes in said water.

3.; An improved cooling system for automotive engines, comprising, incombination, a radiator 10 and a water jacket for an engine in fluidcom- .trolling the adjustable elements in said fan and pump.

ROBERT 1. METCALFE. 10

